Software engineering (SE) is concerned with
developing and maintaining software
systems that behave reliably and efficiently,
are affordable to develop and maintain, and
satisfy all the requirements that customers
have defined for them. It is important
because of the impact of large, expensive
software systems and the role of software
in safety-critical applications. It integrates
significant mathematics, computer science
and practices whose origins are in
engineering.
Students can find software engineering in
two contexts: computer science programs
offering one or more software engineering
courses as elements of the CS curriculum,
and in separate software engineering
programs. Degree programs in computer
science and in software engineering tend to
have many courses in common; however,
as of Spring 2006 there are few SE
programs at the bachelor’s level. Software
engineering focuses on software
development and goes beyond
programming to include such things as
eliciting customers’ requirements, and
designing and testing software. SE students
learn how to assess customer needs and
develop usable software that meets those
needs.
Both computer science and software
engineering curricula typically require a
foundation in programming fundamentals
and basic computer science theory. They
diverge in their focus beyond these core
elements. Computer science programs tend
to keep the core small and then expect
students to choose among more advanced
courses (such as systems, networking,
database, artificial intelligence, theory, etc.).
In contrast, SE programs generally expect
students to focus on a range of topics that
are essential to the SE agenda (problem
modeling and analysis, software design,
software verification and validation,
software quality, software process,
software management, etc.). While both CS
and SE programs typically require students
to experience team project activity, SE
programs tend to involve the students in
significantly more of it, as effective team
processes are essential to effective SE
practices. In addition, a key requirement
specified by the SE curriculum guidelines is
that SE students should learn how to build
software that is genuinely useful and usable
by the customer and satisfies all the
requirements defined for it.
Most people who now function in the U.S. as
serious software engineers have degrees in
computer science, not in software
engineering. In large part this is because
computer degrees have been widely
available for more than 30 years and
software engineering degrees have not.
Positions that require development of large
software systems often list “Software
Engineer” as the position title. Graduates of
computer science, computer engineering,
and software engineering programs are
good candidates for those positions, with
the amount of software engineering study
in the programs determining the suitability
of that graduate for such a position.
Most IT professionals who have computing
degrees come from CS or IS programs. It is
far too soon for someone who wants to
work as a software engineer or as an
information technology practitioner to be
afraid that they won’t have a chance if they
don’t graduate from a degree program in
one of the new disciplines. In general, a CS
degree from a respected program is the
most flexible of degrees and can open
doors into the professional worlds of CS, SE,
IT, and sometimes CE. A degree from a
respected IS program allows entry to both
IS and IT careers.